Tape-folder.



PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

W. B. WRIGHT.

TAPE FOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1904.

INVENTOR WITNESSES.-

A TTORNEY.

UNITED STATES Patented June 20, 1905.

PATE T FFICE.

TAPE-FOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,870, dated June 20,1905.

Application filed June 3. 1904. Serial No- 210,949.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIAM E. WRIGHT, of Newark, in the county ofEssex and State of New Jersey,have invented a new and ImprovedTape-Folder, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to improvements in folding devices, andparticularly in such devices as are adapted for use in foldinglongitudinally certain fabrics, and more especially trimmings or bindingfor d ress-goods. I have used it commercially for making bias-seam tape;but I do not wish to restrict the invention to any particular use, as itis adapted to be used in making longitudinal folds in any strips ofpaper, cloth, or other fabric.

The object of my invention is to produce a very simple device of thecharacter described, which will make the fold more perfectly than isusually the case.

It is also an object of the invention to construct a device throughwhich the material to be folded can be drawn and which willautomatically produce the desired longitudinal folds, and, further, toconstruct the device so that the inner fold shall be carried under theouter fold, so as to fit absolutely close in the bend of the said outerfold, thus producing a flat and perfect piece of tape. This last featureis very important, as heretofore it has been found almost impossible toget this result, and for dress purposes especially it is necessary toget this result in order that a marketable tape salable ata good pricebe produced.

With these ends in view my invention consists of a folder theconstruction, arrangement, and operation. of which will be hereinafterdescribed and the novel features claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the folder embodying my invention. Fig.2 is an end view looking into the large end of the folder. Fig. 3 is aplan view of the discharge or narrow end of the folder. Fig. 4c is abroken perspective view showing the narrow end of the folder, and Fig. 5is a detail perspective view showing the manner in which the materialrun through the folder is folded.

The folder 10 is made, preferably, of sheet metal, because it can beeasily brought to the desired shape; but the material is not soimportant as it is to get the folding parts to the relative positionshereinafter described. The folder has a relatively wide receiving end 11and a discharge end 12, and the material to be folded is drawnlengthwise through the folder, is given the requisite fold, and isfinally pressed to shape between hot rollers 23, hereinafter referredto. At its wider end the folder is given a nearly semicircular shape, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2, and one edge is bent sharply under to producethe guide-fold 13, and the whole body portion of this side of the folderis gradually bent inward and downward until near the discharge end ofthe folder the said side is folded flatwise, nearly parallel with thefolder-bottom, as at 14. This narrow end of the folder has the top ofthe folding portion 14 cut away, as shown at 15, and this feature isimportant, as it gets rid of the material in the folder which wouldotherwise be in the way at this point and enables the guide part 13 tobe carried over and underneath the guidefold 16, which is producedlongitudinally on the opposite edge of the folder. The necessity forthis and the effect produced will be more clearly described in followingout the operation of the folder.

The guide-fold 16 in the folder is produced longitudinally along thesecond edge, as above referred to. This part 16 for producing the secondfold is gradually turned as it approach es the narrow edge of thefolder, as shown best at 17, until at the extreme end it has made acomplete turn, so that the edge of the material drawn through the folderis at this point turned over flat upon the first fold which is made bythe parts 13 and 14:. To provide for the clearance, however, the extremeedge of the material of the folder is gradually cut away on the part 16,as shown best by the dotted line at 18 in Figs. 3 and 4:.

Referring now to the part 14, and particularly to Figs. 3 and 4., itwill be seen that by cutting away this portion of the folder, as at 15,the double guide part 13, or rather the bend between this part and thepart 14, is carried over, so as to be in line with the extreme inneredge-of the second folding part of the folder just described. In thisWay the material folded over by the parts 13 and -14 is carried underthe fold made by the parts 16 and 17, and so the inner edge of thefolded material, as will more clearly appear presently, is carried flushup against the part folded over by the portion 16 of the folder.

In order that the folds in the material may be well defined and clean, aguide-tongue 19 is necessary, and this extends longitudinally of thefolder and nearly its entire length, the tongue being parallel with thebottom of the folder, and its width at the narrow end is practically theWidth of the folded tape. This tongue is entirely clear of the sides andbottom of the folder for nearly its entire length and is attached at onepoint only, which point is most conveniently at the part marked 20 inFig. 2. The tongue 19 is preferably slotted longitudinally, as shown at21, so that with an instrument the material passing through-the foldercan be touched, if desired.

To provide for supporting the folder in position for use, it has on theunder sidea springclamp 22, which can be clasped over the frame of arolling-machine or may be clamped to any suitable support; but obviouslyany convenient means can be used for holding the folder in place. Inpractice it is arranged so as to discharge into the hot rollers 23, and'I have not shown any means for heating the rollers, because they havenothing to do with the invention and are the ordinary conventional'hotrollers. These serve to iron out and :flatten the folded tape, and theyalso draw the material through the folder, and it is this act whichmakes the necessary folds.

The material to be folded is cut to the requisite width, which widthcorresponds to the distance between the sides of the folder at itswidest pointsthat is, to the distance between the outer edges of thegrooves produced by the folds 13 and 16. As the material is drawnthrough the folder it is wrapped around the tongue 19, which serves toguide it and give it shape, the outer folding part 14 making'the firstfold in the material 24 and carrying it, as shown at 25 in Fig. 5, overupon itself and finally by the aid of the tongue 19 delivering one edgeof the material flat and-underneath the second fold 26, this under andinner edge being carried against the opposite side of the folded tape,as shown at 27 in the figure referred to. Referring now to Figs. 4 and5, it

will be seen clearly that the parts 14 and 19 cause this first fold tobe made and how the cutting away-of 'the part 14 enables the edge 27 tobe carried under the material shaped by the parts 16, 17, and 18 so thatthe tape emerges-from the folder nicely folded and with the inner edge25 27 snug beneath the fold 26. As the material leaves the folder therollers 23 receive it andpress it to permanent shape, as described.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the particularfeature of the invention is that which provides for carrying the inneredge of one fold well underneath the second foldof the material and thatit is the peculiar formation of the folding parts of the folder inconnection with the guide-tongue which enables this operation to'benicely-performed.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent 1. In a device of thecharacter described, anopen-ended folder having its opposite sides or edges folded inward anddownward so that one will deliver beneath "the other and aguidetonguearrangedlongitudinally-of the folder, said guide-tongue being providedwith a longitudinally-disposed slot.

2. A device of thekind described, comprising an open-ended folder, theopposed sides of which are folded inward and down ward, one of the saidfolded sides being cut away to provide clearance whereby the oppositeside can be carried over and underneath the said folded side, and aguide-tongue extending longitudinally of :the folder.

3. In a device of the characterdescribed, an open-ended folder,the-opposed sides of which are folded inward and downward,-one of saidfolded sides-'being-cut away=atoneend thereof.

4. In a device ofithe character described,'an open-ended folder, theopposing sides of which are folded inward and downward, the topof one ofthe folded sides being cut away.

5. :In a deviceiof the character described, an open-ended folder havinga'relatively wide receiving end and a narrow discharging end, thereceiving end being approximately semicircular in shape, one sideof thefolder being bent inward and downward until near the discharge endof thefolder where saidside is folded'fiatwise nearly parallel with thefolder-bottom and an inturned guide-fold on the opposite edge of thefolder.

WILLIAM E. WRIGHT.

Witnesses:

WARREN B. HUTGHINSON, WM. H. OAMFI'ELD.

